As summer approaches, I start thinking about simple no-bake desserts that can be made ahead of time and are flavored in a way that everyone will love. These berry cheesecake pretzel bars are exactly that.
A smooth, creamy no-bake cheesecake that holds its shape well set over a salty, sweet pretzel crust and swirled with a gorgeous berry marble that looks impressive, but takes just a few simple steps to create.
These bars can be made the day before and will just chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them to whoever you deem worthy. They are absolutely delicious, really beautiful and simple to bring together. Now this is a summer dessert we should all have on standby.
Let’s get started…
To make a 9″x13″ dish of these bars (which will be 12 large portions or 24 smaller portions), you will need 8 ounces of pretzels, about 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar (total), 12 tablespoons of butter, 6 ounces of fresh blackberries, 8 ounces of fresh strawberries, 500 grams of heavy cream (approx. 2 1/8 cups), 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin, 650 grams of cream cheese (approx. 3 cups), 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Start by crushing or pulsing 8 ounces of pretzels into a fine consistency. The easiest way to do this is in a food processor, but if you do not have one, you can place the pretzels in a large ziplock bag and roll them with a rolling pin or smash them with a heavy pot.
In a large bowl, combine the fine pretzel crumbs with 12 tablespoons of melted butter and 50 grams (1/4 cup) of granulated sugar. Mix until the pretzel crumbs feel like wet sand and then transfer this mixture into a parchment lined 9″x13″ deep dish.
For easy removal of the bars later on, line your dish with a sheet of parchment paper long enough to hang over a bit on both of the long sides of the dish. You will be able to use the parchment paper like a sling to lift the entire dessert out and onto a cutting board for simple slicing later.
Once the pretzel crumbs are in the parchment lined baking dish, press them out even across the base of the dish and use a measuring cup or heavy water glass to compact the crumbs. Make sure they are evenly distributed and compacted. Cover the dish with a clean towel and transfer it into the freezer so the base can set up while you make the remaining layers.
The berry sauce is next in line and you have some options here. You can add all of the berries, sugar and water into the same small saucepan to make a mixed berry sauce, you can make separate blackberry sauce and strawberry sauce for a little color contrast in your marbling or you can even use all blackberries, all strawberries or even raspberries or blueberries.
Note: You are going to have enough berry sauce to swirl into the top layer of these bars and a little extra to serve along side of them, so if you happen to be short on berries, do not fret! Just reduce the amount of sugar and use what you have on hand.
Place the sauce pan (or sauce pans) over medium heat and allow the berries to come to a gently simmer. Once the berries begin to soften, transfer them into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Return the smooth berry sauce to the sauce pan and let it simmer for a few more minutes to allow it to thicken slightly.
Transfer the berry sauce into a bowl to cool, while you make the cheesecake layer.
Start the cheesecake layer by combining 200 grams (slightly less than 1 cup) of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin in a small sauce pan and place it over medium low heat. As soon as the heavy cream begins to bubble slightly around the edges of the pan, begin whisking to dissolve the gelatin. Once the gelatin is dissolved, transfer the saucepan onto a heat proof surface to cool, while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Place 300 grams (or about 1 1/3 cups) of heavy cream into a large bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Set aside for now.
In a separate bowl, whip together 650 grams (about 1 and 1/2 cartons) of room temperature cream cheese with 200 grams (about 1 cup) of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until smooth and creamy.
Add the heavy cream and gelatin mixture and whip until fully incorporated.
Using a flexible silicon spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream.
Remove the pretzel crust from the freezer and transfer the smooth, creamy filling over it. Carefully distribute the filling evenly across the dish.
To begin the marbling process, drop small amounts of the berry sauce randomly across the surface of the filling. Use a large toothpick, chopstick or a thin knife to swirl the berry sauce in a marble like pattern being careful not to go as deep as the crust.
If you ended up making two different colored sauces, drop small amounts of the second sauce in the areas that were not marbled by the first sauce and repeat the process until the entire surface of your filling has something beautiful going on.
Perfection is definitely not required here, so have fun with your marbling!
Once you are done with your berry sauce artwork, cover the dish with plastic or a clean kitchen towel and transfer the dish to the refrigerator to chill until the cheesecake sets up. This usually takes a few hours in the refrigerator or you can speed the process up a bit by placing the bars in the freezer instead. Although these bars need just a few hours to set up, they can stay in the refrigerator for several days.
Once the bars are set up and feel firm to the touch, use your parchment paper to carefully lift the bars out of the dish and onto a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice the bars into your preferred sized slices. I suggest keeping a damp paper towel close by to clean the knife between each slice. This will help prevent pretzel pieces from being pushed into the tops of the bars.
These no-bake berry cheesecake bars are so fabulous. The berries add a sweet, tangy layer of flavor, but maybe more importantly, they add a beautiful vibrant pop of color that I am totally obsessed with. This no-bake cheesecake filling sets up to a great firm, but creamy texture with smooth, tangy and subtly sweet flavors that are well balanced and loved by everyone.
Although the pretzels may seem like they are simply a part of the base layer, they are absolutely my favorite thing about these bars. The salty crunchiness that they add is fabulous and they round the bars out perfectly. Typically, no-bake cheesecake bars are made with a graham cracker crust and even though graham cracker crusts are classic and tasty, they don’t really add much to the overall flavor, but this pretzel crust adds so much texture and flavor that they really make these bars special.
If you are looking for a beautiful, delicious and simple summertime dessert that you can make ahead and everyone will love (thats everything, right?)… then these no-bake berry cheesecake pretzel bars should definitely be at the top of your list.
No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Pretzel Bars
Ingredients
Pretzel Base
- 8 ounces of pretzels, crushed fine
- 50 grams of granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 12 tablespoons of butter, melted
Berry Sauce
- 6 ounces of fresh blackberries
- 8 ounces of fresh strawberries, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of water
Cheesecake Filling
- 500 grams of heavy cream (approximately 2 1/8 cups)
- 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin
- 650 grams of cream cheese, room temperature (approximately 3 cups)
- 200 grams of granulated sugar (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
Make the pretzel base...
- Combine 8 ounces of finely crushed pretzels with 50 grams (1/4 cup) of granulated sugar and 12 tablespoons of melted butter in a large bowl until the texture is like wet sand
- Press the pretzel mixture firmly and evenly across the base of a parchment lined 9”x13” deep dish
- Transfer the dish into the freezer so the pretzel crust can set up while you make the other layers
Make the berry sauce...
- In a small saucepan, combine 6 ounces of fresh blackberries, 8 ounces of fresh strawberries, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of water and place over medium heat
- Simmer until the berries begin to soften
- Transfer the berries into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth
- Transfer the blended berry sauce back into the saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened
- Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside to cool
Make the cheesecake filling...
- Combine 200 grams (slightly less than 1 cup) of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin in a small saucepan and place over medium low heat
- Whisk until the gelatin dissolves and then set the saucepan off to the side to cool slightly
- In a large bowl, whip 300 grams of heavy cream until soft peaks form and set aside
- In a separate bowl, combine 650 grams (about 1 and 1/2 cartons) of room temperature cream cheese with 200 grams (about 1 cup) of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until smooth and creamy
- Add the heavy cream and gelatin mixture and whisk to combine
- Gently fold in the whipped heavy cream with a silicone spatula
Assemble...
- Remove the dish from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling over the set pretzel crust
- Smooth the filling evenly over the dish
- Drop teaspoons of the berry sauce randomly over the surface of the cheesecake filling and use a toothpick or chopstick to swirl to incorporate (photos above)
- Repeat if additional berry sauce is desired
- Cover the dish with plastic or a kitchen towel and chill until set (about 4 hours in the refrigerator or 90 minutes in the freezer)
- Once set, use the parchment paper to carefully remove the bars from the dish and transfer them onto a cutting board
- Using a sharp knife, slice into bars
- Serve immediately or chill until ready to enjoy
